


Break The Ice - deleted scene

by fade_like_starlight



Series: Break The Ice [2]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Deleted Scene, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-23
Updated: 2013-01-23
Packaged: 2017-11-26 14:31:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/651364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fade_like_starlight/pseuds/fade_like_starlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper and Coulson ask Darcy to be Steve's girlfriend. It's kind of like elementary school. Only not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Break The Ice - deleted scene

**Author's Note:**

> You really should read [Break The Ice](http://archiveofourown.org/works/618708) first, as this is a 'deleted' scene from that fic. Thank you to everyone who _has_ read it!

The phone rang, and Darcy looked at Jane and sighed. 

‘I’ll get that, then, shall I?’ she asked. Jane didn’t even look up. Darcy dropped her magazine on the ground and picked up.

‘Darcy? This is Pepper Potts. Do you have a few minutes to spare? I have a project that might interest you.’

‘Oh,’ Darcy said, a little flustered. After all, it wasn’t every day that the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar, international corporation called with a ‘project’. ‘Sure, I guess?’

‘Excellent. I’ve asked JARVIS to bring you up to the conference room in my office. Thank you, Darcy!’ Pepper hung up, and Darcy looked at Jane.

‘I’m leaving, Jane,’ she said. Jane mumbled something. Darcy grabbed a pack of Post-its and wrote on one, sticking it to the coffee maker, the only place in the room Jane was guaranteed to look at.

_Gone to seduce an Avenger and use them to take over the world. Haven’t decided which one, I’ll let you know if it’s Thor. - DL_

JARVIS took her up to the 56th floor, and directed her along a corridor and into a boardroom. Darcy smoothed over her hair and took a deep breath before she entered. Sitting at the conference table was Pepper Potts and -

‘Ms Potts. iPod Thief,’ she greeted them in turn. Pepper hid a grin and Agent Coulson’s expression didn’t change.

‘Take a seat, Darcy,’ Pepper said. ‘And please, call me Pepper.’ Darcy sat, and Pepper continued. ‘We have a proposition for you, Darcy. Of course, you can refuse, and it won’t adversely effect your position here at Stark. I’d appreciate your silence on the matter, however, whatever your answer.’

‘Okay,’ Darcy said slowly, frowning a little. ‘Maybe you’d better just tell me?’

Agent Coulson handed her a magazine. ‘You might have seen this.’

‘Well, yeah,’ Darcy said. ‘Everyone saw this. I - well, technically, I saw it online, because I don’t know anyone who actually buys these magazines anymore, but yeah. Poor guy. I feel kind of sorry for him.’

‘Not for her?’ Pepper asked. Darcy huffed with laughter. 

‘You know, ordinarily I would, but, take a look at this.’ She pulled out her phone and searched the gossip sites for the actress. She handed her phone to Pepper. ‘Look, in the last six months she’s been photographed hanging off three actors, a tennis player, a third-rate emo-indie singer, and now Captain America. If I thought for one minute she was actually interested in Captain America as a person and not as a photo opportunity, then I’d have more sympathy for her.’

Pepper smiled at Coulson and said ‘You were right, Phil.’

He smiled back - hold the presses, Coulson can smile?? - and said ‘Of course I was.’ He looked at Darcy amd slid a piece of paper across the table to her. ‘I’ve been asked to ensure Captain Rogers does not find himself in this situation again,’ he told her. ‘Pepper and I have discussed this, and we’ve agreed the Captain needs an escort for all official functions. Someone to stand with him, be photographed with him, give all these magazines someone to gossip about, but to do it in a way that we can control.’

‘Seems like a good plan,’ Darcy said. ‘What, you want me to help you find someone?’

‘Not quite,’ Coulson said. ‘We want you to be that someone.’

Darcy opened her mouth, then closed it again. That’s what she gets for writing fake notes to Jane. It’s completely her own fault.

‘You want _me_ to - what? Go to functions with Captain America? Be photographed with him? _Date_ him?’

Pepper put a hand on Coulson’s forearm and smiled at Darcy. ‘We want you to date Steve Rogers, actually. You will be asked to attend official functions with him - benefits, charity events, movie premieres, anything the Avengers generally get invited to. I’m sure you understand not all of the Avengers are suited to public appearances.’

‘Well, yeah,’ Darcy said, head still spinning. ‘I was there when Thor put a hole in the roof of the Plaza.’

‘Exactly,’ Pepper said. ‘We need this to be as authentic and realistic as possible. We need to fool the world’s media - and the world’s actresses and socialites - into thinking you and Steve are in a real relationship. So while we’re asking you to go to official events, we’re also asking you to date him in a very real sense. Have lunch and dinner with him, be photographed in line at Starbucks, that sort of thing. Needless to say, the truth of this arrangement can not be revealed.’

Darcy chewed at her lower lip. ‘But _why_?’ she asked. ‘I mean, he’s Captain America. You can’t tell me there isn’t a line of girls wrapped around the city waiting to date him for real.’

‘Yes,’ Coulson said. ‘And we can’t let them. We can’t control them.’

‘You don’t control _me_ ,’ Darcy pointed out. Pepper shook her head at Coulson again.

‘It’s a unique situation, Darcy,’ she said. ‘When the other men you know of his age were out dating, Steve was desperately trying to enter the army, desperately trying to win a war, and desperately trying to save the world. And he was doing this 70 years ago. When other men of his age went home to a celebration of the end of war, he was frozen in an icebank, lost to the world. It’s entirely possible - and inevitable - that he will meet a girl and fall in love. That girl, though, she’ll have to be a unique person. And then we’ll have to put her through the same security clearances you went through when we hired you. I’m afraid that process will take entirely too long for our needs right now.’

‘He has a high ranking and dangerous job,’ Coulson said. ‘There are not many opportunities to meet other people in this life. He’s essentially limited to SHIELD agents or military. Soldiers are likely to be deployed at the drop of a hat, and SHIELD agents...’

‘Have no sense of fun, even if you pour a bottle of tequila down their throats,’ Darcy finished. ‘What?’ she said to Coulson, who was giving her a Look. ‘You know it’s true, Agent Robot,’ although she said this without malice. It was obvious he was friends with Pepper, and therefore capable of expressing human emotions.

‘What if he doesn’t like me?’ she asked quietly, looking at Pepper.

‘I’m very confident he will,’ she smiled reassuringly. ‘Of course, if neccessary, you will both be able to end the arrangement at any time, with no questions asked.’

‘Does he know?’

‘I’m meeting with him this afternoon,’ Coulson said. ‘If you agree, I’ll take you back to SHIELD and introduce you.’

Darcy nodded. ‘What’s this?’ she picked up the paper Coulson had given her.

‘A contract,’ he said. ‘Read it carefully. If you agree, we’ll sign it here and now, with Pepper to witness, then it will be shredded. We’re relying on your discretion to keep to the terms.’

Darcy read it over. It seemed fairly simple, no selling her story, no “cheating”, she was to appear at any official events, as well as spending time with Captain America - Steve, she reminded herself - socially. The Avengers, Pepper, Jane and certain members of SHIELD would be the only ones to know the truth.

‘It’s fine,’ Darcy said, ‘although I want an addition. My family. I know how the tabloids work. I want my family protected from intrusion as much as possible. And I want to tell my parents the truth.’

‘Acceptable,’ Coulson said. He took the paper back and made a couple of notes.

‘Then we have a deal,’ Darcy said, reaching over and signing. Coulson, and then Pepper, signed. Coulson took the sheet and ran it through a shredder at the end of the room.

‘I have a meeting at three with Captain Rogers,’ he said. ‘You’re going to a benefit tonight. Black tie. Pepper, do you have time -’

‘I do,’ she said. ‘Today was suspiciously quiet for me, so tomorrow will be hell. But I’m free today, and I’m going tonight as well, so I also need a dress. We’ll go shopping now. I’ll bring her to HQ afterwards?’

‘Okay,’ Coulson said. ‘Thank you, Ms Lewis. I’ll talk to you this afternoon.’ 

‘I ... will see you later, Agent Coulson,’ Darcy said, a little shellshocked.

He turned to leave.

‘Wait!’ Pepper said. ‘I have an idea - are _you_ busy tonight, Phil?’


End file.
